Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
💲 Self-Driving Startup Wayve in Talks to Raise $2 Billion from SoftBank and Microsoft. “Wayve’s approach has already attracted deep-pocketed backers like Microsoft MSFT 0.00%↑ and SoftBank, helping it raise around $1 billion to date. Now the company is reportedly closing another $2 billion round, which could bring its valuation to a reported $8 billion.”
⚡ Waymo Rival Avride grabs $375M from Uber and Nebius. “Avride has secured up to $375 million in strategic investments and commercial commitments from Uber UBER 0.00%↑ and Nebius. This funding will enable rapid scaling of their autonomous fleet to as many as 500 vehicles and expand their AI-driven product development and geographic reach.”
💰 Didi Nets $280m Series D to Advance Self-Driving Technology, AI.
🌏 May Mobility to Expand Its AV Technology into Southeast Asia with Grab Investment. “May Mobility and Grab GRAB 0.00%↑ announced their multi-year partnership with plans to launch autonomous vehicle services in Southeast Asia.”
🌍 Stellantis Teams Up with Pony.ai to Develop Robotaxis in Europe.
😏 Waymo to Launch Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London in 2026.
😉 DoorDash Will Use Waymo’s robotaxis for Delivery in Phoenix. “Customers will have to come down to the curb to retrieve their orders from the driverless car’s trunk.”
👍 Gracenote Survey Shows 60% See Infotainment as Key Buying Factor.
🚛 Oshkosh Debuts Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicle Fleet in Washington DC.
🚘 GM Says Hands-Free, Eyes-Off Driving is Coming to Escalade IQ in 2028.
🤨 Tesla Brings Back ‘Mad Max’ ‘Full Self-Driving‘ Mode that Ignores Speed Limits.
